Unpopular opinion: coworking spaces actually kill my productivity and here's why I'm conflicted

I had a talk last week with another nomad at a cafe in Chiang Mai. She said coworking spaces make her feel like she's 'at the office' and she hates it. I thought she was crazy at first because I love the networking. But then I realized I spent $200 last month on day passes and got almost no deep work done. Too many chats, too much social energy drained. On the flip side, working from my Airbnb solo for 3 days straight felt too lonely and I started doomscrolling. So is the social buzz worth the distraction or should we just embrace the solo grind? Has anyone found a middle ground that actually works?

2 comments

2 Comments

theagibson1mo ago

I feel this so hard lol. Have you tried those co-working spaces that have a strict "quiet zone" floor? I found one in Lisbon last month that had a library floor where you literally couldn't talk, and then a social floor for the chatty people. I'd spend my mornings in the quiet zone getting actual work done and then wander up to the social floor around lunchtime just to say hi to a few people. It was a game changer for me honestly. The social buzz is nice when you choose it, not when it's forced on you the whole day.

the_faith1mo ago

So the quiet zone worked - did your focus actually improve or did you still feel lonely up there?